What Is Lapping And Unlapping In F1?

Editorial credit: Francesc Juan / Shutterstock.com

Formula 1 is a team sport in which everyone tries to build the fastest car, causing differences between them. There are times when faster and slower cars overtake each other on track, but not to fight for positions. That\’s when we refer to \”lapping\” and \”unlapping\”, but what do these terms mean?

Lapping a car is when a driver in a race catches up and overtakes another driver who has not yet finished that lap, i.e., who is one lap behind. Similarly, unlapping is when a driver who has been lapped overtakes the driver who had previously lapped him.

Although in theory, it seems simple, in practice it is somewhat more complex, and many times problems and controversies arise, so specific rules are needed for lapping and unlapping, which we will see in-depth today.

What Is Lapping In F1?

When a driver laps another driver during a race, it is because he has had more pace, either because of his driving, the performance of the car, or both, and he catches up and overtakes another driver who is one lap behind, i.e. who has completed one less lap.

Blue flags are shown to the driver who is about to be lapped to indicate him to let himself pass safely and without causing the other driver to lose time.

So, for example, let\’s say a driver is leading the race and has completed 37 laps out of 52. The race leader, while on his way to complete lap 38, may encounter the slower drivers, who have not yet completed lap 37, so they must let him pass so as not to interrupt his race, and so on with the rest of the drivers who catch up with them.

What Is Unlapping In F1?

Unlapping is the opposite process of lapping a driver. A driver who has previously been lapped by the race leaders can overtake the leaders if he has a faster pace than them, which is not very common in F1, or if the race director allows them to overtake under a Safety Car period (more on this later).

In this way, if a driver unlaps himself from the leader, he goes from being one lap behind him to being on the same lap, although he is still far behind him, as he would have to make up the entire distance of the circuit to catch him.

What Is A Blue Flag In F1?

The blue flag warns a driver that he has another driver behind him who is lapping him on the track. This means that the driver who is shown the blue flag has to let the driver behind him pass. Currently, the blue flag system is activated when a driver is detected to be less than 1.2 seconds behind another driver he intends to lap.

In this way, the track marshals who are in the area where a driver must be lapped, wave blue flags, while the track panels flash blue. The blue flag is the subject of much controversy, whether the passing maneuver was unsafe or whether the driver ignored it for too long or didn\’t even let himself be lapped.

How Can Lapped Cars In F1 Cause The Leaders To Lose Time?

Lapping seems a very easy circumstance and rule to interpret and carry out. If you are on a lost lap, the leaders come and you see a blue flag, you move over. However, depending on which circuits and on which occasions, the task of lapping and being lapped becomes complicated and can even influence the outcome of a Grand Prix.

On urban circuits such as Monaco or Singapore, where the track is very narrow, chaos can ensue, as lapped drivers can find it difficult to pull away safely, which can cause the race leaders to lose a lot of time.

Likewise, it can also happen that two drivers who are fighting each other will be lapped by the leaders. The lapped drivers, not wanting to give way because they are fighting for a position, can be a problem for the leaders. There may also be a misunderstanding with a lapped driver, not moving out of the way or crossing lines with the leaders, which may cause an accident that could ruin the whole race.

Looking back, we can find several examples of accidents between race leaders and lapped drivers. During the 1998 Belgian GP, Michael Schumacher was leading the race in the rain, but on lap 25, when he was about to lap David Coulthard\’s McLaren, the German driver crashed into the rear of his car and both drivers retired from the race.

Similarly, during the 2018 Brazilian GP, Max Verstappen was leading the race, when on lap 44 he made contact with Esteban Ocon, who was trying to unlap himself, causing both drivers to spin, allowing Hamilton to take the lead and ultimately the win.

Do You Get DRS Behind Lapped Cars In F1?

In Formula 1, the Drag Reduction System, commonly referred to by its acronym DRS, is a system whereby when passing within one second of the car in front in some detection zones, a flap in the rear wing opens during a straight, which reduces drag and increases top speed, making it easier to overtake.

In Formula 1, you can get DRS whether you are fighting with a driver or you are going to overtake a lapped driver. It doesn\’t matter which driver it is, as long as he is less than a second ahead, you can use DRS. In this way, overtaking in the race is favored, and also, when someone is going to lap another driver, he can do it faster and more safely.

On many occasions, faster drivers are favored by the DRS that lapped drivers give them, as this way they can gain more time if they find themselves chasing another car that is 4 or 5 seconds ahead.

What Is A Backmarker In F1?

In Formula 1, teams and drivers who consistently run at the back of the grid are called backmarkers. They are usually the smaller, lower-budget teams that cannot develop and produce cars as fast as those of the big teams and cannot compete with them.

These teams, of which there are usually two or three in each Formula 1 season, make up the backmarkers of the grid. They normally qualify in the last positions, and during the races, they are usually lapped by the fastest teams.

Many of these teams have financial problems and do not last long in the category, as we have seen in previous years with HRT, Caterham or Marussia. These teams are basically fighting not to be last and aiming to score some points in some chaotic race.

Therefore, when we talk about lapped cars, on most occasions we refer to backmarkers, which are the ones that normally occupy the last positions during the races.

Do Lapped Cars In F1 Finish The Race?

Cars that are lapped in Formula 1 do finish races, although they do not complete the full race distance. When a car is lapped, it does not have to complete all the laps of the Grand Prix, but when the first classified car crosses the finish line, the lapped car would finish the race by completing the lap it is on.

That is, if a car is lapped once by the race leader, when the latter crosses the finish line, the backmarker does not need to complete all the laps but completes one less. So, for example, if a race has 53 laps, and a driver is lapped once, he would finish the race at the end of 52 laps. If he is lapped twice, his race is considered finished at the completion of 51 laps.

After the end of the race, they are added to the final race standings, showing that they have finished one or more laps behind the winner. For a lapped car to be considered to have finished the race, it must have completed at least 90% of the total race distance.

If a driver who has been lapped on numerous occasions has not completed 90% of the race, he is not included in the final classification and is therefore considered to have retired from the race.

What Is The 107% Rule In F1?

As we have seen throughout this article, there is a huge difference in performance between the fastest teams and the backmarkers. However, to avoid huge differences between teams, the FIA established the 107% rule.

The 107% rule means that to be eligible to start a Grand Prix, a driver must qualify within 107% of the time obtained in Q1 by the fastest car. Thus, if a driver\’s best time in the qualifying session exceeds 107% of the best time achieved in Q1, he will not be allowed to take part in the following day\’s race.

The last time someone was unable to participate in Sunday\’s race for exceeding the 107% rule were the two HRT drivers during the 2012 Australian Grand Prix. Kamui Kobayashi was the fastest in Q1, with a time of 1:26.182. Therefore, the 107% rule states that a time of 1:32.214 could not be exceeded. Pedro de la Rosa and Narain Karthikeyan set respectively a time of 1:33.495 (108.66%) and 1:31.122 (110.3%), being excluded from the race.

The 107% rule has some exceptions, such as having achieved a substantially better time in one of the free practice sessions, thus being allowed to compete if the stewards approve it.

Similarly, if a driver has had an accident or mechanical problem and has not been able to complete a lap in Q1, or if there has been a dramatic change of weather during the first qualifying session, he may also be allowed to participate in the race.

Can Cars Unlap Themselves Under The Safety Car In F1?

When there is an accident or some other reason that may endanger the drivers, the Safety Car comes out and the race is neutralized. All drivers must follow their pace and may not overtake the Safety Car or each other. In addition, the cars must leave 10 car lengths between them, as well as the leader with the Safety Car.

When a driver has been lapped and a Safety Car is deployed, that driver may be last in the race but may find himself in the middle of the pack during the Safety Car period. That is, imagine that a driver has been lapped by the leader, second and third. In the race classification, that driver is last, but when all the cars regroup under the Safety Car, the lapped driver is located between third and fourth.

Under the Safety Car, all drivers must hold their positions, without overtaking. However, lapped cars may overtake the Safety Car when told to do so, as stated in Article 55.13:

“If the clerk of the course considers it safe to do so, and the message \’LAPPED CARS MAY NOW OVERTAKE\’ has been sent to all Competitors using the official messaging system, all cars that have been lapped by the leader will be required to pass the cars on the lead lap and the Safety Car.”

In this way, the lapped cars can overtake the other drivers in front of them and the Safety Car and complete a lap at a reasonable pace to join the rest of the grid behind, in their correct race positions. In this way, they unlap themselves and would no longer be one lap behind the rest of the field.

This rule was changed at the end of the 2021 season, due to the great controversy at the final round, the Abu Dhabi GP. Previously, the rule read “any” rather than “all” cars that have been lapped by the leader will be required to pass the cars on the lead lap and the Safety Car. This gave rise to numerous interpretations that could be used differently by the race director, depending on the situation.

\"\" — Editorial credit: motorsports Photographer / Shutterstock.com

Conclusion

Lapping a car is very common in Formula 1, as the differences between the fastest and slowest cars are very large. Therefore, as we have seen, there are numerous rules so that lapping and unlapping are done safely and easily, although sometimes incidents and controversies occur.